"Excellent care in difficult circumstances"

My son was distressed at birth and the team at the Princess Anne provided him with excellent care.

His heart rate had been dropping during each contraction, so the midwife had requested backup and there was a paediatrician and obstetrician in the room when he was born.

He came out grey and floppy and the paediatrician immediately gave him oxygen and assessed him and decided he needed to go to the neonatal ward.

This was obviously distressing for me and my partner but we were very happy with the quality of the care he received in the neonatal unit.

It is true that the bathrooms at the PAH are a bit grotty, and you wouldn't mistake it for a luxury spa, but I am much more concerned with the quality of care which was very good.

The only thing I would change is the lack of breastfeeding support.

My colostrum did not come in immediately and the midwives kept directing me to put my baby to the breast, which only made him angry as there was no milk there.

He is now formula feeding which I feel might have been avoided if the hospital had had supplemental nursing systems available to use, and perhaps some dedicated staff to support breastfeeding. However, overall I was happy with our experience and I am very grateful that my baby was able to receive the specialised care he needed immediately after birth.